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Martin Luther
His Contributions to the Musical Practices
Of the
German Evangelical (Lutheran) Church
Larry Folz
Music History
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!r "chim#f
Martin Luther is $no%n mostly for his role as the innovator of the
Protestant &eformation of Euro#e in the si'teenth century as %ell as a #riest
#rofessor of theology an music com#oser* n less than ten years Martin
Luther %oul #ut in +uestion the religious core of an em#ire that ha rule
for a thousan years an set into motion an onslaught of revolutionary ieas
that %oul resha#e ,estern Civilization* Luther is often also consiere the
beginning element in the colla#se of meieval feualism an the -rst
sha#ing of ieas of freeom an liberty that lie at the heart of the t%enty
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-rst century*. /his #a#er %ill e'amine ho% Luther im#lemente ne% music
into the %orshi# #ractices of the Lutheran Church*
One of the ma0or contributions of the &eformation to the Christian
Church %as the restoration of the #o#ular song to the #eo#le* Luther
in1uence a transition from the #riest2church ominate %orshi# service
#ractices of the Catholic Church to one that is more %eighte in the
involvement of the congregation as %ell as the #riests in the #roclamation of
Go3s ,or* ,hile the #o#ular singing of religious hymns an songs %as not
uncommon in the mile 4ges its use in connection %ith the liturgy %as
ty#ically not consistent from service to service an %as often at the is#osal
of the church rather than the #eo#le* "ince Martin Luther stoo at the center
of the German &eformation an its encouragement of #o#ular congregational
song it is im#ortant that Luther3s vie% of congregational music an its role in
%orshi# be clearly unerstoo*
4ccoring to Marilyn "tul$en author of the Hymnal Com#anion to
the Lutheran 5oo$ of ,orshi# Luther3s vie% of congregational song %as
roote in the iea that music %as a gift from Go himself a gift %hich only
foun its true ful-llment in e'alting the Lor*6 For Luther music %as given as
a gift to man$in from Go an though it coul be re%or$e or re%ritten the
#hysical elements of music li$e vibrations through air the #ro#ortions an
.&obin Leaver Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Gran &a#is7
,illiam 5* Eermans Publishing 6889) ::*
6Mary "tul$en Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philael#hia7
Fortress Press .;<.) .;*
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relationshi#s of i=erent #itches an so on are absolutely an funamentally
the gift of Go in creation* "tul$en also %rites that it is commonly acce#te
that Luther greatly brought congregational %orshi# to a #lace of #rominence
in the Church but %hat is overloo$e is that Luther felt that the
congregation3s #artici#ation in the service through a congregational hymn or
chorale %as the bac$bone an integral #art in the %orshi#ing of Go an not
0ust common Christian songs loosely attache to the %orshi# service*>
Luther consiere music a irect gift from Go an hel it as
something e'tremely sacre because of this fact* His comments an ieas
on music are many an varie but one comment seems to be brought u#
numerous times throughout his %or$s7 Music is ne't to /heology?* 4 letter
that Luther %rote to com#oser Lu%ig "en1 ate October @ .A>8 contains
his most e'tene statement7
#lainly 0uge an o not hesitate to aBrm that e'ce#t for theology
there is no art thatcoul be #ut on the same level %ith music since e'ce#t for theology(music) alone #rouces %hat other%ise only theology can o namelya calm an 0oyful is#osition/his is the reason %hy the #ro#hets inot ma$e use of any art e'ce#t musicD %hen setting forth theirtheology they i it not as geometry not as arithmetic not asastronomy but as music so they hel theology an music most tightlyconnecte an #roclaime truth through Psalms an songs*@
/his istinctive statement Music is ne't to /heology? is %hat istinguishes
Luther from his #reecessors as %ell as many of his contem#oraries*
>bi* @;*
@&obin Leaver Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Gran &a#is7
,illiam 5* Eermans Publishing 6889) 9<*
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n the evelo#ment of a boy of material for use in congregational
song the early &eformation le by Luther3s o%n e'am#le a##ear to have
been ra%n from -ve main areas or sources*
/he -rst source %as the abunance of material foun in Gregorian
chant* Luther %oul ta$e the original meloies from the chants an often
times %oul sim#lify them to ma$e them more accessible for congregational
singing an correct alter or im#rove? the te't of the chant theologically
%here they %ere contrary to the &eformation3s unerstaning of the gos#el*
Chants %ere ta$en from both the Orinary an Pro#er of the Mass as %ell as
from the re#ertoire of Latin OBce hymns* For e'am#le the meloy from the
oBce hymn eni Creator "#iritus? became omm Gott "cho#fer?(Figure
.)*
Figure 1 “Komm Gott Schopfer” (Lehmann 1965, 261)
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4 secon source of early &eformation hymnoy %as the Liesen, a boy
of sacre #re&eformation German fol$ hymns that use some form of yrie
eleison? at the en of each stanza* Liesen %ere often sung in #rocessions
by #ilgrims at other s#ecial religious occasions an occasionally at Mass* 4n
e'am#le of this %oul be Iesus Christ Our "avior /rue? (Figure6)*
/he thir source of early &eformation hymns %as the Cantios, Latin
s#iritual songs of #re&eformation times %hich although religious in conte't
%ere not irectly associate %ith the liturgy such as Goo Christian Friens
&e0oice? an He %hom she#hers came #raising?*
/he fourth source that contributes to &eformation hymns %as through
the #rocess of contrafaction* /y#ically this #rocess involve #roviing a
sacre te't to an alreay e'isting #o#ular secular meloy* 4 classic e'am#le
of this is Luther3s chilren3s song for Christmas From Heaven on High
Figure 2 “ Jhesus Christus unser Heyland” (Lehmann 1965, 259)
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Come to Jou? (Figure >) %hich is base on the secular song of Luther3s time
Goo Ke%s from 4broa 5ring?*
/he -nal
source of hymns for the &eformation Church %as ne%ly com#ose hymns*
Luther encourage Christian #oets to #re#are ne% songs %hich the #eo#le
coul ma$e their o%n an %ith %hich they coul #raise their Go an
#roclaim the Gos#el* 5y .A6@ there ha accumulate aroun forty
,ittenberg hymns (aroun half %ritten by Luther) an these ha forme the
basis of the -rst ,ittenberg hymnal the eystiliches esang$ Buchlein!" 4t
Luther3s encouragement the com#oser t%entyeightyearol Iohan ,alter
com#ose #oly#honic choral settings for the hymns in four or -ve #arts*
A 4nre% Pettegree #eformation and the Culture of Persuasion (Ke% Jor$7
Cambrige niversity Press 688A) @A*
Figure 3 “From Heaven on High I come to You” (Lehmann 1965,29)
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Luther %rote a great eal of original hymns that %ere irectly
intert%ine %ith the #rinci#al of catering to various facets involve %ith the
%orshi# service* n Luther3s min hymns %ere a %ay to instill the ,or of
Go in its follo%ers* ,hile some hymns %ere %ritten to convey #ersonal
e'#eriences an re1ect the struggles an victories of one3s faith others %ere
mere forms of instruction evise to #romote memorization an
unerstaning* For e'am#le Luther com#ose hymns that %ere base on
the /en Commanments calle /hese are the Holy /en Commanments?
(Figure @)* /he hymn3s te't is literally the /en Commanments a##lie to
real life situations* /his sho%s Luther3s #ractical a##roach to inserting
hymns into his %orshi# services for the #ur#ose of utility* 4nother e'am#le of
this #ractice is Luther3s hymn Our Father in the Heaven ,ho 4rt? (Figure A)
%hich em#loys the same conce#t as the /en Commanments hymn but
rather for the Lor3s Prayer*
Figure ! “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” (Lehmann 1965,2"#)
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Figure 5 “Our Father in the Heaven Who Art”(Lehmann 1965, 296)
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Luther contribute such a great amount to the generation of hymns
but also %rote many chants to be #erforme uring the %orshi# service* His
chants remaine largely un$no%n outsie of Germany an some fae a%ay
by the en of the si'teenth century* One e'am#le is /he 4gnus !ei? (Figure
:) %hich %as a chant to be #erforme uring the aministration of
communion* /he chants %ith their e'tene intonations an meitations
%ere more syllabic an meloious than #ro#er Gregorian chants but they
serve a s#eci-c #ur#ose an their basic an fol$li$e character mae it
#ossible for the congregation to actively #artici#ate in the liturgy*:
Luther an many other com#osers of the &eformation %ere hymn
%riters in the traition of the Meistersingers meaning that they %ere both the
#oet an the song creator* 4 favorite %riting evice for Meistersingers to use
on ne%ly com#ose chorales is the fre+uent use of barform* n essence
barform %as a three #art #oetic an musical structure %here you have an 4
section consisting of t%o #arts an a 5 section consisting of three #arts* /he
: Lehman Luther’s’ Works: Liturgy and Hymns (Philael#hia7 Fortress Press .;:A)
ol* A>7 .A.*
Figure 6 “The Agnus Dei” (Lehmann1965)
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4 section is #laye t%ice an then the 5 section begins7 4 (ab) 4 (ab) 5
(ce) form* 4n e'am#le of this barform is !ear Christians Let s Ko%
&e0oice? (Figure 9)* Kotice that the 4 section has t%o ine#enent meloies
an then is re#eate follo%e by the 5 section %hich consists of three
ine#enent meloies* Other hymns that also share this form inclue 4
Mighty Fortress is Our Go? an 4ll Glory 5e to Go on High?* 9
n aition to hymns an chants Luther com#ose many chorales that
he felt %hen teame %ith hymns an chants he coul #rovie a great eal of
#artici#ation %ith both the church sta= an #atrons* 4ccoring to Charles
Etherington choral songs ra% from three sources secular songs ins#iration
9Mary "tul$en Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philael#hia7
Fortress Press .;<.) 6>*
Figure " “Dear Christians et !s "o# $e%oice”(Lehmann 1965, 219)
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an #lainsong<* Etherington also states that the even measure rhythm %e
associate chorals %ith toay %as not al%ays the case %ith Luther3s early
chorals an that in many cases there %as a mi'ture of u#le an tri#le
rhythm es#ecially in those borro%e from the Latin liturgy as %ell as a
great eal of free rhythm of #lainsong;* Chorals %ere generally sung slo%ly
in unison by the congregation %ith organ accom#animent* Else%here
musical instruments %ere associate %ith #rofane uses an generally
consiere un-t for %orshi#* n Germany the organ %oul become almost
inse#arable from #ublic %orshi#*
One of Martin Luther3s most %ell $no%n com#ositions %oul li$ely be
%hat %oul later become the 5attle Hymn of the &eformation7 $in feste Berg
or %& Mighty 'ortress( Many scholars believe that it %as the result of the
#erio of stress culminating in the a##earance at ,orms an the &etreat in
,artburg.8* n this hymn he attains the summit of an invincible faith in Go
in e-ance of the evil an a %orl of enemies* 4s %ritten by Iames
Mac$innon n this magni-cent challenge of a foe %e have the thrilling
manifestation of the s#irit that carrie Luther an the &eformation to trium#h
in the struggle against the might an ma0esty of &ome?*.. /he hymn3s
#o#ularity s#rea ra#ily all over Germany an even serve as the basis for
<Charles Etherington Protestant Worship Music: Its History and Practice (Ke% Jor$7
Holt &inehart an ,inston .;:6) ;>*
; bi* ;A*
.8E*G* "ch%iebert Luther and his )imes: )he #eformation from a *e+ Perspectie
("aint Louis Concoria Publishing House .;A8) :96*
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I*"* 5ach3s Cantata <8* Other com#osers that have also use the meloy are
Feli' Menelssohn in his Fifth "ym#honyD Giacomo Meyerbeer in his o#era
Les Huguenots- an 4le'aner Glazuno= in his 'innish 'antasy" .6
.. Iames Mac$innon Luther and the #eformation (Ke% Jor$7 &ussell an &ussell
.;:6) ol* @7 >69*
.6 Mary "tul$en Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philael#hia7
Fortress Press .;<.) >8<*
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$i%&iograph'Etherington Charles* Protestant Worship Music" Ke% Jor$7 Holt &inehart an
,inston .;:6*
Leaver &obin* Luther.s Liturgical Music" Gran &a#is 7 ,illiam 5* Eermans 6889*
Lehmann Helmut /* Luther.s Works /olume !0" Philiel#hia 7 Fortress House .;:A*
Mac$innon Iames* Luther and the #eformation: /ol 1" Ke% Jor$7 &ussell an &ussell
.;:6*
Pettegree 4nre%* #eformation and the Culture of Persuasion" Ke% Jor$7 Cambrige
niversity Press 688A*
"ch%iebert E*G* Luther and his )imes" "aint Louis7 Concoria .;A8*
"tul$en Marilyn* Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship" Philael#hia 7
Fortress Press .;<.*